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Walsenburg Mining Museum
112 W. Fifth Street
PO BOX 134
Walsenburg, CO 81089
Phone - 719-738-1992
Contact - E-mail us
Call or write for tour and general information.
The City Built on Coal”, as Walsenburg was known in the 1930’s, is the County Seat of Huerfano County. Huerfano is the Spanish word for Orphan, named for the solitary butte along interstate 25, 10 miles north of Walsenburg.
Walsenburg began as “The Plaza de Los Leones” around 1860, built along an ancient Indian trail. In 1870 Fred Walsen moved there and began making plans for the town’s development. By 1873 the town had been plotted and had replaced the town of Badito as the County Seat. After the discovery of massive coal deposits and the development of over fifty mines employing thousands of men, Walsenburg became a prosperous mining center. Huerfano County produced nearly two and one half million tons of coal per year.
The Museum is located in the unique setting of an 1896 county jail. The Walsenburg Mining Museum tells the stories of coal mines and the people who lived in their camps, a glimpse of incarceration, 1890’s style. Former inmates include Bob Ford, murderer of Jesse James, and Mother Jones (labor organizer during the bloody coal strike of 1913-1914). The old jail also once housed the office of a coal mining company owner.
A visit to the Walsenburg Mining Museum will bring you face to face with artifacts from this colorful era in history. You will see two part lunch buckets that were used to take water and food underground, numbered brass checks to keep track of who went in and out of the mine, mule feed bucket and whip, and many photos taken underground in the mines. A replica of a complete mining office with mining instruments, pay and insurance ledgers, and much more.
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You can view vintage photographs of miners families and camps, tools, and belongings. There is also a world map showing the origins of those killed in the mines. You can read about the 117 people that were arrested during one mining strike, and sympathize with the mine families—the death rate was four times that of the national mining death rate. Hear tales of notable prisoners, bank robbers, and escapes. See mine rails used as jail bars, the dumb waiter used to lower meals cooked by the jailers wife in the apartment upstairs, a bullpen and cells for 16 prisoners. Learn more about this area and it’s rich history through a visit to this interesting museum. The Walsenburg Mining Museum is on The National Register of Historic Buildings and was renovated with a Colorado Historical Society grant. Operated by the Huerfano County Historical Society mainly through volunteers, the museum relies on the generosity of donors to maintain the collections. Don't miss our gift shop, offering a variety of books and keepsakes.
OUR SEASON: Begins May 7, seven days a week through September.OUR HOURS: 10AM to 4PM weekdays, 10AM to 1PM Saturdays, and 1PM to 4PM Sundays.ADMISSION FEES: Adults- $2.00, Teens $1.00- Children 12 and under- Free. |
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